Math, Mayhem, and the Battle of Beauty

As soon as Professor Qin left for his first class of the day, Lia found herself standing alone in the hallway, utterly unsure of what to do next.

Students bustled past her in every direction, their hurried footsteps echoing down the long corridors. Most were buried in their books, their large glasses slipping down the bridges of their noses, or with hair tied messily atop their heads as they rushed between classes.

Lia blended in perfectly. Dressed casually, with a white backpack slung over one shoulder and a few books in hand, she could easily pass for one of the many graduate students.

She stepped further into the hallway, the noise of student chatter filling the air.

As she walked, Lia attracted the occasional glance in her direction.

A few students, perhaps wondering why they hadn't seen her before, or where the heck she was going, looked at her curiously but otherwise carried on with their business. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she could quietly explore the department on her own.

Or so she thought.

"Oi, girl—classrooms are that way!" a voice called out from behind her, loud enough to cut through the noise of the hallway.

Lia turned to see a tall, curly-haired man frowning at her, his brow furrowed in what looked like genuine confusion.

"I'm headed there too. I'll help you," he said, stepping up beside her and beginning to steer her in the opposite direction.

Lia blinked, her confusion deepening. Before she could protest, the man was already leading her down the hall, clearly convinced she was just another student who had lost her way.

"You're too pretty to be in the math department," he said suspiciously. "Are you sure you're supposed to be here?"

Lia raised an eyebrow at the comment, a polite smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

With sleek, dark hair framing her face and bright, youthful features, she had often been called beautiful.

"Yup. Math," she replied simply, deciding to just play along.

It wasn't worth the effort to fight it, and in a way, this was turning into a tour of the department, even if it was in the wrong direction. Besides, she didn't have anything else to do.

The man shrugged, clearly unbothered.

"It's about time the math department got some pretty girls anyway."

Before Lia could respond, a sharp voice cut through the crowd of students ahead.

"Pretty girl this, pretty girl that!" a girl sneered, walking just a few steps in front of them. She was surrounded by a group of friends who seemed just as interested in what was happening. "Our Meng Yi hasn't even walked into the room yet! How dare you consider yourself pretty—you're nothing compared to her!"

Lia blinked in surprise, her polite smile freezing on her face.

The girl turned to face Lia, her eyes widening as she took in her appearance.

For a brief moment, the girl looked stunned, as if she hadn't expected Lia to actually be as beautiful as she was. But she quickly recovered, her gaze narrowing into a sharp glare.

"Heh—so you're the one with the audacity to call herself pretty around here," she sneered. "Have you even seen yourself?"

Lia stood there, speechless, unsure whether to laugh or defend herself.

Before Lia could respond, the curly-haired man—Jing Hao, apparently—stepped in front of her, shielding her from the girl's insults. "Hey! You can't deny that she's pretty!" he protested, looking genuinely confused by the hostility. 

"Shut up, Jing Hao!" the girl snapped back, her eyes blazing. "This shameless woman must've figured out who you are and is just trying to cozy up to you! You're too trusting of vixens like her!"

"Yeah! She's definitely just looking to make connections around here!" hissed another girl next to her.

"Relax, Yaya," a softer, more composed voice said from behind the angry girl. A young woman, clearly the "Meng Yi" that had been mentioned earlier, stepped forward with a graceful, almost regal demeanor. She was pretty, with delicate features and a quiet confidence that radiated wealth and privilege. But despite her elegance, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Lia's beauty far outshone hers. 

Meng Yi gave Lia a dismissive glance, her expression cool and indifferent. "Don't bother with random women. They're not worth your time."

Yaya, however, wasn't ready to let it go. She scoffed, stepping closer to Lia with a smug smirk.

"I'm letting you go because Sis Yi said so," she snapped, jabbing her finger against Lia's chest. "But watch yourself, dirty vixen," she muttered under her breath before linking arms with Meng Yi and walking away toward the classroom.

Lia stood frozen in place for a moment, her mind racing to process what had just happened. Not only had she not claimed to be the pretty, but she had also barely spoken two words in the last ten minutes!

Somehow, she'd been pulled into some bizarre social hierarchy without even trying.

She shot a bewildered look at Jing Hao, who appeared equally browbeaten by the encounter.

"This school sure is interesting," she thought, shaking her head as she followed Jing Hao, who led the way into the lecture hall, still muttering under his breath about how unreasonable Yaya was.

Lia bit back a laugh. If the math department was full of characters like this, her time here was bound to be far more entertaining than she had originally imagined.